Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | |||
| 05/01/2012 | |||
| Bmw 323i 1999 i purchased this bmw today. upon arriving home i shifted into reverse, nothing happened. shut off vehicle with several attempts as stated in manual no change. vehicle was test driven all day from meeting up of seller to lending institution. upon arrival at home vehicle would no shift into reverse. | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | |||
| 06/19/2011 | 73000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 1999 bmw 323i. while the vehicle was parked the gear shift slipped into reverse on its own and the rpms increased. the gear shift indicator lights would not illuminate. the contact was able to engage the emergency brake in order to avoid a crash and stated she looked at the instrument panel to see what gear the vehicle was in. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 73,000. rk | |||
| 06/19/2011 | 73000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 1999 bmw 323i. while parked the vehicles gear shifter slipped into reverse on its own and revved up. also, the gear shifter indicator lights would not illuminate. the contact was able to pull on the emergency brake to avoid a crash and stated she looked at the instrument panel to see what gear the vehicle was in. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostics. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 73,000. ds | |||
| 09/03/2010 | |||
| Sporadically and without warning since i have owned the car, new, the reverse gear fails in my 1999 bmw 323i. in addition, the car seems to, intermittently and without warning, rapidly accelerate on its own. when the car accelerates, i have to apply all the pressure i can to the brake pedal, and even with that i can feel the acceleration for a few minutes before it stops. as for the reverse gear failure, i have to shift to each gear once or twice before i can get the car into reverse, and/or i just have to take the key out of the ignition and wait for a while before trying again, and/or i have to shift to and from reverse to drive several times while in a parking lot, street, etc., holding up drivers behind me. in 11 years, no mechanic has ever been able to determine why the car has these issues, and most mechanics have been unable to duplicate the problems while driving the car. thus, nothing has been repaired and the issues remain. | |||
| 10/25/2010 | 214000 | ||
| Owner of a 1999 bmw 323i and the reverse gear failed. it occurs intermittently and continues. no action or accountability is being taken by bmw to correct the problem. this is a safety concern for owners faced with this situation. | |||
| 03/10/2010 | 210000 | 1 | |
| I own a 1999 323i bmw. the car will not go into reverse. 1.) the car's transmission worked fine. then without warning or indication after parking the transmission would not go into reverse. 2.)the transmission will not go into reverse. this problem comes and goes. the car cannot reverse. 3.) no corrective action has been taken yet, i am just not driving it - too dangerous. *tr | |||
| 12/20/2009 | 135000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 1999 bmw 323 i. while moving the gear shift lever from park to reverse, the vehicle would not shift gears. she had to manually push the vehicle into drive in order to switch gears. she was advised that the transmission was failing. however, no repairs were made. the failure and current mileages were 135000. | |||
| 10/22/2009 | 13000 | 1 | |
| My 1999 bmw 323i would occasionally not engage in reverse. this happened initially without warning. after driving the car around for awhile, low and behold, reverse would engage. the dealer told me that the shift plate was not aligned and the car was thinking it was in neutral. after having that replaced at $700, the next day, same problem. then the dealer said that it has to be that the transmission was gone. after having the transmission rebuilt at $2000, low and behold, 2 days later, the same exact thing starting happening. the car is in excellent condition and well maintained with 132,000. all of this started to happen on 10/22/2009. bmw needs to recall the vehicle because this has happened with several owners. *tr | |||
| 07/15/2008 | 138000 | 1 | |
| I bought a 1999 bmw 323i in january of 2000. it was a certified bmw. i haven't had much trouble with it. i have done typical maintenance, brakes, oil changes, new plugs, wires, etc. last year i noticed while driving at speeds more than 65 miles per hour that the rpms would move from 2500 to 3000, and a light showed up on the dash. i got to work and check my manual and it is telling me the light is a service transmission light. if you see this light, pull over, put it in park, pull the emergency brake, wait and restart the engine to reset trans. i took it to my repair tech and he plugged my car into his computer and it states that the transmission is slipping out of 5th gear. estimate for new trans is $4,000. for a rebuilt trans is $2,500.00. i don't have that kind of money for a 10 year old car. i have noticed in the winter months (cold keeps trans fluid thicker??) that it doesn't slip as often, and in the summer months, if i keep my speed under 65 mph, it doesn't slip as much. but it is a hassle, and i am just waiting for it to get worse. it slips out of 5th gear while on the expressways making it extremely dangerous to pull over and reset the car so that it will go into 5th gear. i don't especially like to drive it when the rpms are so high, it seems to be putting a strain on the engine, and my gas mileage has got to be decreasing tremendously, when it slips out of 5th gear. *tr | |||
| 03/23/2009 | 1 | ||
| I drive a 1999 bmw 323i, today the reverse stopped working for no reason at all. drove fine this morning, i pulled into a store to run an errand and when i came out the reverse was no longer working. i now read this is a common issue with this model but that bmw refuses to acknowledge this, this is unfortunate as i've always liked bmws but now i'm stuck with a car that is unsafe and expensive to repair. *tr | |||
| 05/17/2007 | 106000 | 1 | |
| I discovered one morning that my car wouldn't go in reverse. it seemed like it would catch, but it wouldn't actually go anywhere. i towed it to my regular repair shop, and they quoted me $6000 to replace the transmission. i found a transmission shop who quoted me $1600-$3500 to actually fix the problem instead of replace, so i had the car towed a second time over to them. shop called back and said neither bmw or gm will sell him all the parts he needs to do fix it. bmw doesn't offer them (only whole transmissions), and gm won | |||
| 07/30/2008 | 105000 | 1 | |
| I have a '99 bmw 323i. my car recently reached 100,000 miles and have started experiencing transmission problems. the car will shift to reverse but with no effect. i have spoke with other bmw owners and have found this is a recurring problem and cost 5000 dollars to fix. im in the united states marine corps and cant afford to fix a problem like this. i i am being deployed and am worried that transmission failure while im gone will be dangerous for my wife. i feel like bmw should pay for the transmission repair because its their bad choice for choosing faulty engines. they vehicle is extremely unsafe and should be recalled. *tr | |||
| 07/27/2008 | 108350 | 1 | |
| 1999 bmw 3-series transmission failure at 108k miles due to faulty transmission. *tr | |||
| 07/01/2008 | 181200 | 1 | |
| Drove into a parking spot a work and could not back out of the parking space once on reverse, the car would not move! after having spent $2,500 just 3 weeks prior on other repairs. *tr | |||
| 01/01/2008 | 78000 | 1 | |
| I own a 1999 bmw 323i. recently, the automatic transmission warning light started to go on when i would drive my car on the highway. i took it into the local bmw dealership and it took about 3 diagnostic visits to determine that i needed a new transmission for $6k. my car had less than 80,000 miles on it. i then took it to several bmw specialist auto shops who explained to me in full detail the issue that this gm transmission is known to have. apparently the transmission fails in 5th gear and defaults to 4th gear, which not only causes it to drive differently, but can cause other expensive issues. after reading similar complaints about this transmission, i am extremely disappointed that bmw has let this go and has not issued a recall. i am disappointed w/ the poor quality of the american made transmission, and will never buy another bmw again. *tr | |||
| 02/26/2008 | 180100 | 2 | |
| I own a 1999 bmw 323i. sometimes the reverse does not work at all and on somedays there are no problems what so ever. i took the care into the bmw dealership and was told that i need a new transmission that would cost about $7,000. i am disabled and cannot afford this type of repair. i thought buying a bmw would be a great retirement car. i am very upset, especially reading on the internet how many people have the same problem and bmw does nothing to help. i have a 1997 381i that is down also. have taken it to the dealership and my local mechanic. bmw has changed..i really need help ... *tr | |||
| 02/22/2008 | 1 | ||
| My bmw 323i 1999 has a defective transmission. bmw says that we shouldn't change the transmission oil as it's a lifetime oil.... but i think this is what lead to having this problem. my car doesn't go into reverse and i've looked in several sites about this problem and have discovered that im not the only one that has this problem... http://noreverse.org/complaints_2007q3.html please email me back as to what i should do... thx, alex *tr | |||
| 02/06/2008 | 128800 | 1 | 01/14/2008 |
| My reverse on my 1999 323i automatic does not go into reverse. it initially worked then it would not reverse. *tr | |||
| 10/10/2007 | 68000 | 50 | 06/01/2001 |
| Reverse mysteriously not working. goes in and out. *tr | |||
| 01/20/2008 | 1 | ||
| Reverse does not work. the same complaint from hundreds of others can be found at noreverse.org. there is a service bulletin put out to the service technicians about the transmission but bmw will not do anything about it. *tr | |||
| 12/17/2007 | 96476 | 6 | 03/23/2005 |
| My husband was driving my 1999 bmw 323i, he pulled forward at a 45 degree angle on our street in order to back into our driveway. after putting it in reverse and trying to back up, the engine revved and acted as if it were in neutral, the reverse gear failed. it started working again the next day and worked fine for about 10 days. i was parked at a shopping center and when i tried to back out of my parking space, the reverse again failed. after a long wait, the person who was parked in front of me left and i was able to pull forward and drive home. the reverse was working again by the time i got home. it began failing more frequently, but usually will come back sooner or later. we took it to our bmw mechanic, he said the seal appeared to be broken and fluid had leaked out. he refilled the fluid and ordered a new seal. the reverse worked fine for 2 days, then started failing again. the mechanic informed us that since the reverse failed so quickly, the seal would not do anything to solve the problem and we would need to replace the transmission. after doing research on my own online, i see this is a problem that is widespread and unresolved. check the following website for countless testimonials on this defective transmission, they even named a website for the problem specific to bmw: www.noreverse.org. *tr | |||
| 05/07/2007 | |||
| 1999 bmw 323i not going into revers at 90k miles | |||
| 08/18/2007 | 141016 | 5 | 02/02/2006 |
| The reverse gear in my bmw 323i failed without any prior warning. it seems to be a common problem, as a drum in the transmission assembly is cast from weak metal and comes apart until it fails to compress the plates for the reverse gear. *tr | |||
| 08/17/2007 | 141016 | 5 | 02/08/2006 |
| I have been driving my 1999 bmw 323i for the past year with few problems. today i got up to go on a road trip, and my car will not go into reverse. it has been serviced regularly, but there was indication of a transmission problem existing. according to the dealership, it will cost about $3,000.00 to correct the failure. a quick web search revealed that this is a fairly common occurrence. *tr | |||
| 04/05/2006 | 1 | ||
| I just read about the person who had the 1999 that had the engine light and transmission light go on. i have had the same thing. a mechanic friend of mine said that we should change the lifetime fluid and it might clear it out. when put on the computer it showed a problem with the 5th gear. we went ahead and paid to have the fluid changed. it was extremely dirty and definitely a good idea to change it....well it didn't rectify the problem. i have been told by bmw that i will need to probably have the entire transmission replaced...bmw is part pushers only, not mechanics.....my car is a 1999 and has only 70k miles on it...i have never had a transmission problem with a car with that little of miles on it. i had someone suggest not using the 5th gear so i am driving in s4 instead of d. so far it is working just fine, however my engine light still comes on periodically. i agree that bmw should have a long warranty when it comes to transmission especially with all of the complaints i have read and price of this most wonderful car. at this point i will never buy another bmw. i too plan to go into a toyota or honda. *jb | |||
| 09/26/2005 | 115500 | 3 | 10/12/2000 |
| I own a 1999 bmw 323i. recently, the check engine light keeps coming on along with the sign for the transmission (the exclamation in the circle). then the power was significantly reduced which didn't allow me to drive over 40 mph. i took it to the bmw dealer near my home and after they ran the expensive diagnostic test they still weren't sure what the problem was. however, they said they received a bulletin from bmw telling them that resetting the computer for the torque and transmission would fix the problem. however, this was only a temporary fix, as it only lasted for one week. the light still came on and they still don't know what the problem is. this frustrates me that the bmw dealer doesn't know what the problem is. i know of several other bmw owners and they have the same problem. they all have traded their cars in for a honda or some other japanese made car, which i am considering too! however, i shouldn't have to resort to this, as i have spent a lot of money for this luxury car and would like to keep it. nevertheless, i believe this is a manufacturing problem, as many electrical problems among others have been reported by bmw owners and dealers. a co-worker's had a '98 325 and had only about 70k miles on it and she had major engine problems and spent about $3500 dollars and the problem still wasn't fixed. so, she trade hers in for a honda. i spent about $400.00 and my problem is still not fixed. i am hesitant to pour any more money into fixing my car especially, after my friend spent much more and hers wasn't fixed, and when the mechanics aren't sure what the fix is. i believe this is an across the board type of problem with many if not all bmw's and the manufacturer doesn't want to admit it. just go to bmwcomplaints.com to see for yourself. i would like an investigation into this problem and a recall to fix these serious problems. *jb | |||
| 09/20/2004 | 81000 | 15 | 08/23/2002 |
| Transmission locked to limp home mode. can be reset by turn off and on the ignition, but it wont solve the problem and will occur again. if you run at 75/80 mph, and the limp mode is on.. the gear will be shift down suddenly and it will dangerously impact the speed of the car behind me. luckily the car behind me have enough time to reduce the speed before it hits me. *ak | |||
| 07/18/2003 | 75365 | 1 | 12/28/1998 |
| I was driving my 1999 bmw 323i on hwy 101 in santa clara, ca. the car sundenly feels weak. i immediately pull off the next exit. at the traffic light after the exit ramp the car stalls. i restarted the car and was able to move it, slowly, to a parking lot. there i found that a). i lost the reverse gear b). the transimission program light was on. i attempted to start the car again to see if it moves but the engine keeps stalling - i noticed that the transimission does not appears to be shifting. it is like starting a manual shift car from the 3rd gear.there was no warning sign of all these. it happen all in a sudden. the car had just gone through the bmw 60k mile service (major service) a couple of months ago.*ak i have the car towed to my bmw dealer and there they pronounce the transimission dead - transmission locked-up. i am scared! i could have been killed that day! | |||
| 05/28/2003 | 2 | 06/12/2000 | |
| Entire transmission for 1999 bmw 323 ic needs to be replaced (estimated charge is $4600.00) - after only 60,000 miles. the onboard computer did not alert me of the problem soon enough. | |||
| 11/01/2000 | 1 | 03/01/1999 | |
| On november 1, 2000, i had a u.s. air force appointment in the u.s. pentagon in washington, dc. i proceeded to leave in my bmw 323i, which i lease through passport bmw in marlow heights, maryland. it was a dreary day, thus, i turned on the vehicle's headlights after starting the ignition. i placed the vehicle's gear in reverse and proceeded to back out of my parking space. however, the vehicle suddenly, and with great velocity, sped backwards. i immediately pressed the brakes preventing an accident. i tried this time to go forward and the car sped forwards back into the space i originally backed out of. i was quite shaken-up and completely analyzed the vehicle and my operation of it ensuring. *ak | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - TORQUE CONVERTER | |||
| 04/03/2006 | 89000 | 1 | 12/25/1999 |
| 1999 bmw 323i (e46) i didn't know my german car came with a crappy transmission made by gm in france. it failed after 89,000 miles and required a total replacement because parts are unavailable. this costs $4500. this is unacceptable and i'm sure others have the same problem because i've been reading about them on various bmw message boards. this should be considered a known defect and bmw is responsible for fixing this. they haven't taken any action to rectify this. *nm | |||
| POWER TRAIN - CLUTCH ASSEMBLY | |||
| 12/17/2003 | 57561 | 5 | |
| I believe that carmax sold me a lemon. it is a 1999 bmw 323ci, was purchased used at the independence boulevard store on nov 28, 2003, with 57,097 miles. the purchase price was $21,420 including a $1,699 extended warranty for 3yrs/36000. automobile warranty agreement number: 7106508410. *ak since shortly after purchase, there have been excessive and expensive defects, including safety items. the car has broken down, failed to start, required towing, and the control panel flashes spurious warnings. despite the warranty, and despite my requests to carmax, critical repairs have not been performed. safety defects still occur and are not being repaired by carmax (i.e. current control panel warning for lights). major mechanical items are not being performed under warranty (e.g. transmission). this has all occurred in less than a year, and with less than 5,000 miles of my driving. summary of repairs since purchase: 12/17/0357,561mi.air bag light fault, seat belt, electrical & control panel 12/23/0457,694rear defroster, electrical, window replaced, worn brakes 06/04/0459,565horn replaced, fuses & electrical 9/10/0461,230clutch replaced, warning lights, control panel failure light intermittently comes on (has not been fixed) the car is currently unsafe to drive...reference the control panel warning indicator that carmax cannot analyze nor repair. the history of safety problems include fuses, air bag, electrical system, and horn. summary: i was sold a lemon and have an unsafe automobile. i require a safe car to drive, and i want to stop paying for repeated defects and breakdowns. recommemded solution: i suggest that either: (a) the car be returned for a full refund, including reimbursement for the cost of all defects, or; (b) i be reimbursed for all defects and that the terms of the 30 day warranty be extended to november 29, 2006. | |||
| POWER TRAIN - MANUAL TRANSMISSION | |||
| 05/01/1999 | 1 | 05/01/1999 | |
| Transmission sluggish. nlm | |||